You Get what you Challenge
"There is a famous saying, 'You get what you measure.' It may be more appropriate to say, 'You get what you challenge.' Teams will respond to challenges if they are…
Does Lean Align with a Christian Worldview?
Does Lean line up with the Bible's teaching? Is it consistent with the Christian Faith? These were my questions when I first learned of Lean in 2007. I was cautious…
The Ultimate Competitive Advantage: Teamwork
“Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology.It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage,both because it is so powerful and so rare…If you could get all the people in an…
When People Point out a Problem
"None of us like to see reality when it's unpleasant or disappointing; all of us are guilty, at least to some degree of wanting rose-colored glasses. This is not an…
Lean = Learning Together
"The breakthrough thinking that Lean offers is that of better individual competence and better teamwork. This means taking responsibility when things go wrong (as they do daily) and not explaining…
Individual Accountability…or Rely on the Team? Both.
"Critical to Toyota's success is single-point accountability. One person's name goes up next to each item in an action plan. But in order to succeed, the individual responsible must work…
Make Teamwork the Foundation
"Toyota's assumption is that if you make teamwork the foundation of the company and develop strong leaders, individual performers will give their hearts and souls to contribute to the team…
The Power of a Great Team
"Your team is far more important to achieving excellence than any new technology and likely more important than brilliant product ideas. We agree with Ed Catmull, computer scientist and president…
Lean Leaders Care how the Team is Feeling
Lean Leaders pay attention to morale:"Senior managers, therefore, reacted immediately to circumstances that might lead to potential morale issues. If machinery wasn't working properly, they were as worried about worker…
Sustaining the Gains
"Sustain is perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of continuous improvement. Not only is the work to sustain just as hard as the work that created the gains in the first…